Mysterious Notes

I've got 2 computers at work, my desktop, and a laptop. I leave both running 24/7. Most the time, if I haven't been using my laptop, the top is closed and it just sits on my desk. Lately, I've been using it for development, and I've been leaving the screen up. Then 2-3 nights ago, it would mysteriously be closed when I came to work in the morning. I just sort of guessed maybe the cleaners had shut it, but didn't care too much.

Today, I open it up and see a notepad window with the following in it:

"you know, leaving this laptop on all night will shorten the life of the screen. Please shut this laptop down at night.

IS Dept."

Now to this I say, nice BS. You see, I have had a laptop in college. I left it on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (unless I had to drag it to class). I never let it shut off the screen for 3 years (until I loaded XP on it), since doing so would lock up the thing, and make me restart it. The screen still works.

My degree is in Computer Engineering. I think I know what will damage the "screen" in a laptop. Excesive heat, harsh abrasive cleaners, lots of water, Beer, Cola, darts, and golf clubs to name a few. (And no, Golf clubs don't get you a free replacement laptop at Rose-Hulman. They get you mocked, and then you have to shell out the money to fix it.) Leaving the monitor on won't shorten the life of the screen in a noticeable way. *Maybe* the backlighting will dim, but most likely nothing will happen. There are far more likely things that will fail before the screen goes bad.

Why don't they leave me a note telling me that leaving it plugged in all the time is bad for the batteries, and if I don't actually use the batteries they will loose their ability to hold a charge?

Also, what the hell is with leaving me a note on the screen, and then not even claiming who it was from other than IS Dept. Why not just email me and ask me why I was leaving it on? Maybe it was how they had it set up when they gave it to me. Maybe I didn't care enough to check to see if the power savings turns of the monitor when connected to a power outlet. Maybe if the damn thing didn't lock up all the time when the screen saver was left on......